Nepatizz

Super old post but I hooked a bass through the brain once. I got the hook out relatively quickly but it didn't have the mental capacity to swim away and died trying. Sad **** but it happens its a part of fishing.

That's super interesting, I didn't know that. Thank you!!!

Still working on getting a thermometer (I bank fish) but still, the water temp should be higher in the middle of the day, assuming the temp rises to a peak. When I feel the water with my hand it's not freezing cold. It's at a water temperature that you could swim in, though you'd be pretty cold. Not sure about deeper water but it seems relatively warm in comparison to winter water temps. I know that the fish are getting more active where I live, some have started bedding. But I don't know if its worth it to wait until that water temp rises in the middle of the day for the most activity from fish (assuming it doesn't get too hot out, its still spring). Does the higher water temp make that much of a difference?

Hello! The weather is just starting to warm up where I live, reaching a maximum of 62 degrees or so and dropping to the mid 40's at night. Some days are still only in the mid 50's, but I have been fishing on the warmer days during the middle of the day while the heat is at its peak. I have had scattered success going during this time. It is generally believed that bass fishing is better at sunrise and sunset because of bass feeding patterns, but does that hold true when the morning and night temperatures are still in the low 50s? In other words, is the better choice to fish early in cooler temperatures or wait till it's warm so the water temp rises and fish are more likely to be active? Tough choice. Have any of you had this dilemma? Either way, what do you think? Thanks

That's interesting! It seems that if the weather is warmer, most of them rush to the banks to find food. Thanks!

Hello, I have always struggled to catch bass this time of year and haven't understood why. With Coronavirus going around, seems like the bank is one safe place I can actually spend some time! I'd like to maximize my chances on catching bass, however. Recently the temperature has been in the low to mid 50s with barely any rain and winds in the teens. I bank fish and don't have an idea of the water temperature, but I'm assuming that since the weather is still slightly cooler, the bass are still holding up in the middle of the lake close to the bottom as most of them do all winter. I've always assumed that bass don't become more active until 60 degree weather or so, where the warmer weather requires them to need more food. I mostly bank fish small to mid-size ponds and my general approach this time of year is to position my lures deep/towards the bottom of the pond and fish very slowly because the bass probably aren't active. I'll usually Texas rig a soft plastic and hop it off the bottom slowly. Is this always the correct approach in weather like this, or am I missing anything? Could the bass be migrating between deep waters and the inner banks in these temperatures? How can I increase my chances and find the bass? Any advice is appreciated, thanks for reading! Stay healthy!

By that sense, shallower lakes seem to be ideal with these conditions. Especially if I'm bank fishing. Thanks, that's helpful!

Hello, It is a weird type of year before Spring in the Northeast where we are having 60 to 65 degree days some days where I am, but it is mostly staying in the low to mid fifties in on average. I was wondering how random warm days like that affect bass movement behavior. Are bass more active on random warm days when the temperature has been slightly too low for pre-spawn on the other days? Or does the water temp need to be consistently warmer for a week or a few weeks in order for behavior and eating habits to take affect? In other words, do they behave on a day to day basis in terms of air and water temperature? It makes sense considering how the heat affects their habits. Thanks DP

Hello! I was wondering if there would be any negative consequences of leaving fresh fluorocarbon or braided line on my fishing reels (spinning and baitcast) for 3 or 4 months before the pre-spawn? They would be kept in appropriate temperatures around 70 degrees and untouched. I am wondering if this would stretch out and hinder the fluorocarbon because it would be sitting untouched for a while. I'm not sure about the braid. Any reason I shouldn't do this? I wanna make my set ups now but this popped in to my mind. Thanks!

Thanks everyone, very helpful!!

Hello everyone! With pre-spawn season fast approaching, I'm starting to get together some gear that will help me catch bass during this time. I know that swimbaits absolutely kill bass in the prespawn (this I've observed through experience and gotten several recommendations on). That being said, I'm in the market for a new rod. What specifications should I be considering if I want to get into swimming small to medium sized soft swimbaits, maybe 2-4 inches in length with 1/4 to 3/8 shaky head/similar weights on the end? How would specific length, power etc. help aid me in using this type of lure? Also, it would be great if the rod could work for other lures of course. What else could I fish on a swimbait rod? Thanks for your suggestions, and any advice at all will help!

Usually very rocky reservoirs that have rip raff on the bank. The bottom gets flatter as the water gets deeper. Makes it tough to fish the bottom sometimes.

Hey everyone, The temperature is starting to get chilly where I am in the northeast, 60s most days. I am in need of some advice on approaches to fishing this time of year. I have always thought that bank fishing this late in the year would make it much less likely for me to catch a bass. Is this true if I'm only fishing from banks? How can I induce more bites from the bank this time of year? Feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hello! I've never had any luck fishing from the bank around this time of year. I live in New England and the weather is still in the 80s almost every day, aside for the occasional cooler days in the high 70s. I normally fish soft plastics, but I'm finding the bite to be tough on them for some reason lately. Normally my approach is to cast in and around cover. What are bass doing at this time of year, and what do you recommend for an approach? What should it be for September? I normally fish a lot of rocky bottoms and rip-raff on reservoir coastlines. I think most of the fish are post-spawn by this point but it's tough to tell with small bass swimming around. Thanks!

Hi all, I've been in a bit of a slump and was wondering what you suggest I use for an approach when fishing from banks at this time of year? Weather has been pretty hot, at least 85 every day. I mostly fish small ponds with adequate vegetation and cover and a few reservoirs with rip rap. Where should the focus be? It's hard for me to tell where the bass are in the places I fish aside from them hiding in or around cover. Once I hit all the cover spots and the spots that really stick out to me, I don't really know what to do next. My thought has been to switch to fishing something off the bottom and casting out far but this method hasn't produced me any fish. I've mostly used spinnerbaits around more open areas and jigs, worms and creature baits t-rigged around the cover spots mostly. And of course the good ol' senko everywhere. I vary my presentation as much as possible. What do you think? Thanks

I've been using a 1/4 oz bullet weight and a red bead with a swivel. I mainly bank fish.

Hello, I've been trying a Carolina Rig for the first time and haven't caught anything on it yet. What do bites on this rig normally feel like? How can you distinguish between your weight hitting something and a fish pecking at and picking up your lure? Any other advice much appreciated! Thanks

Hello! I've been in a huge slump lately and haven't caught much of anything with my bank fishing. I'm learning how to use a baitcaster and it seems I can only catch a bass after I've backlashed and I'm standing there briefly pulling the line out of my reel to re-spool it. Usually it only takes me about 10 to 15 seconds when that happens, but I've noticed THREE TIMES now, I've had a bass on the line right after I engage the reel and start pulling in the line again. I'm usually pretty patient with letting my plastic sit on the bottom so I'm not sure if the time I'm waiting is making a difference. Normally I'm fishing a senko or a Texas rigged soft plastic when this happens. I've heard about guys pulling out their line on purpose after cast with a soft plastic has hit the water, but I've purposely experimented with this technique and A. havent noticed an increase in bites when purposely doing it and B. haven't noticed any change in my lure presentation when that happens. If anything it wraps me around a rock or something on the bottom. I've also noticed that when this happens, I'm not usually able to feel the bite. Which also makes me question whether I've been completely missing bass picking up my lures when they're sitting on the bottom. I watch my line for movement always. So what is it? Pure and utter coincidence? Something to do with me pulling out my line? Something with how I'm using I'm baitcaster? Getting these fish "accidentally" is discouraging. I'd like to have more command and know when I got one. My set up has been an Abu Garcia Silvermax on an RT1 Graphite Series 7' MH Fast rod with 15 lb power pro. Not a great rod which may contribute to the lack of feeling or seeing bites. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Hello, The weather has gotten unbearably hot where I'm located and I've been focusing more on bottom fishing with t-rigged worms and soft plastics. I really only use curly tailed worms, finesse worms, and tailed chunky baits such as chigger craws. I know how to match body size to the hook (2/0. 3/0 etc) but what hook types do you use for these soft plastics? I'm having trouble finding what makes the bait look the best on the hook, mostly the correct match-ups such as EWG vs. straight shank vs. wide gap vs. offset - I feel like there are tons of options and they're all used in different applications, but in terms of the function of the bait on the lure and making sure the presentation is clean, as well as getting the correct hookup on a hook set, what hook types work best for those plastics in your opinion? Are the hook suggestions on bags of soft plastics accurate? Thanks!

Hello! Just starting to use a baitcaster and have to get down some of the basics. I know that when you cast, you should hold your thumb on the line right before the lure hits the water, correct? My question is when do I take the thumb off? As soon as the lure hits the bottom? Or should I keep the thumb down even while the bait is on the bottom and I haven't taken any line in yet? In that case, would a hookset fail if the thumb was still holding the line while the lure is sitting on the bottom or does this not matter entirely? Thanks!

Great answer, that really helps!!! Thanks!

Hello! I've always been curious about the physics/mechanics behind a hookset with a Texas rigged soft plastic on a bass. When you get a bite on a t-rig, the lure is in the mouth of the fish with the hook embedded inside the lure. When you set the hook and yank the lure, what exactly happens to force the hook out of the bait so that it can catch the lip of the bass? Is it because the bass is holding on to the lure tight so the hook detaches? I've always been curious about this and I think understanding will help my patience with hooksets. Thanks!

Hello, I've been bank fishing all season so far with very little success. All the decent bass I've caught have been off the boats of friends. As soon as I go back to my bank spots, absolutely nothing I do will catch the fish. I usually start with my spinnerbaits and jigs to cover a lot of distance down the bank. I try to lure out the more active bass hiding around pads and tree stumps and work around cover whenever I can. Then in order to lure out the lethargic or defensive fish I'll work the same areas with a finesse setup such as trick worm or senko, weighted and unweighted, rigged in a ton of different ways. I work all water depths and I make sure to stay in what seems like the strike zone. Temperature has been in the low 70s for a few weeks, these fish should be spawning by now. So my question becomes: at what point do you make the judgement that your fishing spot just doesn't normally have a lot of bass in it, and it's not just you? After you've tried everything? After a few casts? How do you go about it if you're fishing the bank and getting nothing? Thanks!

You can't go wrong focusing on fishing around cover. That's usually my go-to when the weather is warm. Bass just love cover in general. Try to vary your lure selection. If the water is super clear, you want realistic looking bait that you can work through the top of the water column, middle, and bottom. If I were you I would go with a green or dark colored jig that you can swim through the top, pull through the middle, and hop on the bottom. That way you're covering a lot of depth in your area. Texas rigged worms are killers for doing that as well. Cast those things into lily pads, near trees in the water, and any vegetation you can find.

Hey! This may be a dumb question so go easy fellas, but does anyone know if you're less likely to catch smallmouth bass if you fish in places that are popular/fished frequently by people? In other words, do bass catch on to the popular places their friends are hooked and purposely avoid them in response? It seems a little silly, but I actually have noticed that when I fish ponds that arent't fished as much, the bite seems more aggressive and frequent. I fish almost every day. Is this a coincidence? Always wondered this! Thanks for the response!